//------------------------------//
// 8 - The Hall of Stories 
// Story: The Chronicles of Eponia 
// by GallaicusBrony92 
//------------------------------//

As Gwrthfiotig said, the trip to Horsenaforda was relatively short. A wooden wall with stone towers stretched before them. It certainly looked different from Dwrnhorsefawr, but they couldn’t draw conclusions until they were inside the city.

As they approached the door, they could see two guards. They were two earth ponies with long braided beard, and they wore leather armor and helmets that covered their heads and the outline of them eyes; they were also armed with spears.

One of them approached the girls.

"Halt! Your business in Horsenaforda may be?" The guard asked.

"Greetings, we have come to visit the College of Druids. A vates from a nearby town told us that we could learn history here, " Twilight explained.

"And that little dragon?" The other guard asked, surprised to see Spike.

"He comes with us, he's my protege." Said the princess of friendship.

The guards looked at each other, which made the ponies nervous for a moment, but they seemed to accept Twilight's explanation.

"All right, come with me for a second."

The girls and Spike followed the guard to a gate, where he began to write things down on a paper with a quill.

"I need to sign up in the registry. Since the war began most major cities have limited the entry of foreigners to prevent spies from infiltrating. As you have already told me your purpose here, I only need your names."

"Twilight Sparkle." The princess noticed that the guard had written down 'unicorn' in the section that said 'race'. Good thing she didn’t take her cloak off at any time.

"Spike."

"Sunset Shimmer."

"Applejack."

"Rainbow Dash."

"Rarity."

"Pinkie Pie."

" Ehm... Fluttershy." Although the shy pegasus said it in a low voice, the guard was able to score it without problem.

After noting down the names, race and characteristics of the ponies and the dragon, the guard headed towards them again.

"Perfect, you can pass. Remember that when you leave you should tell the guard on duty in this door about your departure. If you need to spend the night you can try the Winged Helmet’s inn, welcome to Horsenaforda.”

Although at first, he seemed rude, the guard proved to be quite friendly. Clearly, under the circumstances, it was normal that there was some paranoia. The girls remembered bitterly how Canterlot was on Shining Armor and Princess Cadance wedding; patrols everywhere and controls and magical barriers, and even then, they could not avoid the invasion of the changellings.

Observing the city, they could notice a different style in the architecture. It consisted mainly of stone buildings with columns and wooden ceilings. The columns also were adorned with interlacing drawings and even runes.

Almost after passing the wall, there were several market stalls, in one of them there was a pony selling weapons and armors that were forged by his brother as he said, or a fruits and vegetables stand. Near these posts was the inn that the door guard mentioned to them.

As they didn’t want to wander too much, they asked somepony directly the address of the school. They approached a pale pony with chestnut mane and a knotted and a beard decorated with a ring and a bushy mustache. The pony in question wore a wide tunic of black and red colors that covered the upper half of his body. He carried what looked like a stringed instrument on his back.

"Excuse me, do you know how to get to the Druid College?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, but what interest do foreigners have in the College?" The pony asked.

"How do you know we're foreigners?" Asked Sunset.

"It's something that you can see at first glance. I'm not saying it's bad, but it surprises me, and even more on these days... "

"We want to learn history." Twilight replied without giving more information.

The pony stared as if analyzing them more deeply, until his eyes met those of Applejack and there he looked away. "That’s a reason as good as any other. Follow that path from there until you find a row of menhirs. There you will see a large building."

After thanking the stranger, he continued his way and the girls continued to the College.

They crossed the road guarded by the row of menhirs and before them the great building stood. It was certainly impressive. Around it were several dolmens surrounded by trees where they could see who they imagined were druids and their students. The building had several floors and towers, and the first floor of the facade was surrounded by a large gold chain.

“Sweet Celestia... it's beautiful." Said Rarity. "We've seen palaces before, but this is incomparable."

"Imagine how its library will be like," Twilight said with a singular brightness in her eyes.

"Are you thinking of books again egg head?" Snapped laughing Rainbow Dash.

"Dash, we’ve come to investigate local history, let Twilight enjoy the moment." Sunset said, laughing, however she knew how excited her princess friend could be when it came to studying history.

"Well, any suggestions to start?" Applejack asked.

"Didn’t Gwrthfiotig say something about talking to a pony dressed in blue?" Pinkie Pie said. "We can ask that pony."

Immediately, Pinkie pointed to a young earth pony dressed in a short blue tunic. The girls went towards him, which surprised the colt.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked.

"Yes, we have come to learn the history of Eponia. A vates from a nearby town told us to ask some pony dressed in blue," Twilight explained.

"Well, it doesn’t surprise me, my name is Spáthl Empáiath, and I'm a bard. "The girls did not bother trying to pronounce that name, so they just kept on listening. "And what story interests you most? The Foundation, the Interregnum War, the Invasion of the Empire ...? "

"We wanted to know a little bit about everything. Can you tell us where you have the library? " Twilight asked anxiously to read Eponia's books.

"Library? No, here we don’t have that, you should go to Coltdinium if you look for codex and scrolls. " Twilight's jaw almost fell to the floor and her eyes widened.

"You haven’t got a library?" She asked without believing what she heard, thus gaining a look of surprise from the bard. "What kind of college is this that does not have a library?"

Sunset tried to calm her down, although it was hard enough ...

"You'll have to forgive her, she takes the books as serious business." Applejack said.

"I see..." It was the only thing Spáthl managed to say. "I’m sorry not being able to help you with that, the druids have transmitted most of our traditions orally, and it is the duty of the bards to practice eloquence and be able to transmit the stories and traditions to the next generation of ponies."

"But they said that here we could learn history, you will not insinuate that you transmit ALL the history by word of mouth..." Rarity said also surprised by the ways of the druids.

"Well yes, but here in Horsenaforda we have something that in other places they don’t have," said Spathl, drawing everyone's attention. "Follow me and I will show you."

Spáthl entered the school followed by the rest of the ponies. Although the interior of the school did not seem as decorated as the exterior, several ornaments could be seen, and in the center of the main hall was a statue of a bearded unicorn holding a bow.

"Excuse me Spáthl, I was wondering what exactly a bard does?" Sunset asked as he followed the pony.

"Well, we are essentially the guardians of history and culture. We take care to transmit the stories and traditions of our ancestors, so there will always be at least one bard in each town, city or village responsible for teaching the foals. A bard must also master the four languages ​​of Eponia, apart from the common language, so it is not unusual to see bards as diplomats." Spáthl Empáiath stood in front of a huge gate. "Here we are."

The gate led to a huge, very decorated room, in which large elaborate and colorful tapestries stood out. The ponies were shocked to see such works ...

"My goodness, they're gorgeous." Rarity said, watching the tapestries carefully. "They are magnificent works; the contours, the colors... "

"I'm glad you like them. The best craftsponies of Prydadain work in them," explained the bard. "Welcome to the Hall of Stories. Now let me tell you where we came from..."

"Here we go again..." Said Rainbow Dash without being too excited.

In the first tapestry they observed a series of boats that arrived at a land, the foundation of a city, and a map of what they supposed was Eponia. Spáthl explained that Epona guided ponies of the three tribes to a new land, far from political squabbles and the threat of the Windigos. There they founded a city that they named as Eponadunum, which in the common language meant 'Fort of Epona'. After years of expansion they founded the new kingdom: Eponia.

In the next tapestry they observed, they could see three ponies in the center: a unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony. Spáthl explained that they were the co-founders; the pegasus was Lugus, a warrior exiled from his tribe by Commander Hurricane, who along with another pegasus named Mars Invictus laid the foundations for the creation of the legions; the unicorn was called Ogmios, and it was a young colt with blank flank when he arrived; he was the discoverer of the Ogam and the first Druid of Eponia; finally, the earth pony was called Morrigan and she was Epona’s sister, the founder of Cobernia and the discoverer of Avalon.

"How did Ogmios discover the Ogam?" Asked Sunset.

"You see, after a brief conflict with the dragons of the west, Epona sent Ogmios to ensure peace. The truth is that Ogmios, although he was young, he was a great speaker, handled the bow very well and was a talented sorcerer. It turns out that the leader of the dragons told him that he would only trust him if he traveled to the island of Ynis Mane and managed to unravel its secrets. "

"And he made it?" Twilight asked.

"Of course," the bard said in a tone of obviousness. "There, Ogmios’ horn shone, and on a rock, it began to engrave symbols. After two days meditating on them he managed to decipher their meaning, and so his Cutie Mark appeared. After returning with the dragons, the leader knew that he had triumphed in his mission and assured him that the dragons would not pose a threat to the ponies as long as they respected the land where they now lived. The legends say that the chieftain gave something to Ogmios as a sign of friendship and he gave it to Epona, but many bards say that this is just an old legend... "

"Excuse me pardner, why do so many apples appear in this tapestry?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Those are the apples of Avalon. In their exploration of Cobernia, native creatures there, the Phookas, spoke to Morrigan about a fog-covered island where the best apple trees could be seen. Morrigan went after that island, and although she almost lost herself in the fog, she managed to find Avalon and the apples; These apples were used by Epona to create an elixir of youth that preserved her and the co-founders for centuries. Morrigan, in addition, took apple seeds to Cobernia and planted them all over the island, however, the apples of Avalon planted there did not have the properties of those that were born on the island, although I can assure you that they have a superior quality. The cider of Cobernia is simply the best." After hearing that Rainbow Dash’s eyes glittered.

For a few minutes Spáthl continued talking about several events, until he came to a tapestry in which he lowered his eyes showing sadness.

"What does this tapestry represent?" Asked Sunset.

"This represents one of the most shameful episodes in our history. Everything that happened in Eponia in the last two thousand years starts from here. "Those words were not ignored by Twilight, who believed she had found what she was looking for. "This represents the Interregnum War, the moment in which Eponia was divided forever."

"Can you tell us please?" Twilight asked.

"Of course, that's what I'm for," the bard said as the girls and Spike listened. "When the Great Mother died, a vacuum of power came and nopony dared to fill it. The co-founders met and discussed who would take over the kingdom. Lugus believed that he, as the best warrior, should occupy the throne; Morrigan, being the sister of Epona and her only living relative, felt that she had more right to be the High Queen; Ogmios, meanwhile, wanted to delegate the decision on the circle of the Druids, but the other two did not see that too well because they believed that he would convince the druids to appoint him as High King. "

Spáthl pointed to a part of the tapestry where three ponies could be seen arguing around a table.

"During a year that became known as 'The Empty Throne Year' they continued arguing without reaching an agreement, that is why Lugus, to prevent the clans from rebelling and spread anarchy, he gathered the legions, the druids and nobles that were loyal to him and marched on Eponadunum, proclaiming himself as the High King of Eponia; Not that mention that neither Morrigan nor Ogmios saw that with good eyes and urged the pegasus to end that madness. Lugus stood firm and said, 'either they were with him or against him', and that is why Morrigan gathered the majority of clans of earth ponies and her personal guard of warriors, the Fianna, and other dissidents and declared herself in revolt; Ogmios in turn, gathered a large number of unicorns and left for the North. Lugus soon prepared to fight those who once considered his friends... So, The Interregnum War started. "

"He declared war on his own friends?" Asked Pinkie Pie, surprised.

"That's horrible..." Fluttershy said under her breath.

"How could Lugus do that?" Twilght asked.

"Maybe because deep down he believed that he was doing the right thing ... and maybe because he could. The Interregnum War was atrocious, to the point where even the dragons almost intervene in the conflict; battles, looting, slaughtering… it was like all foul thing inside everypony came out with that war." The worst of all is that what Spáthl counted was reflected explicitly in the tapestry. Most of the ponies looked horrified at the images, Dash's expression and Applejack's was desolate, and Fluttershy looked away with tears in her eyes. "In the end after many bloody battles and other atrocities Morrigan managed to flee to Cobernia, where the clans received her with cheers and proclaimed her High Queen, declaring at the same time the independence of Cobernia. The Ogmios’ dissenters also suffered the fury of the legions, but after allying themselves with the hippogriff tribes of the islands and arming a new group of warriors, he managed to expel them from the North. He founded the Kingdom of Horntriu, which remains so far. "

"What kind of warrior were those?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"They called themselves the Blue Horns. They said that seeing them on the battlefield was the equivalent of a nightmare. Unicorns dyed in white and with blue warpaints, able to fight without rest, and the worst thing is that they rarely leave survivors." With these stories, the group prayed never to go to the northern lands. "The Blue Horns were responsible for the destruction of a city in the north called Eponacum; supposedly it was in revenge for the abuses that the legions committed against the population of unicorns in their territory. They destroyed the city and only ruins remained ... "

"And, what happened at the end with Lugus?" Asked Sunset.

"Well, after seeing that his claim to the throne of Eponia was no longer solid, Lugus divided the land under his rule among the nobles, warriors and druids who supported him, and created a new institution to make it easier for the kingdom to rule: The Pegasus Senate; it established laws that forbade forced slavery in its territory except for criminals and prisoners of war, and also he maintained slavery by contract, in addition to signing a non-aggression pact with the Dominion of the Dragons; Thus the Kingdom of Prydadain was born. "

"So that's why Eponia is at war?" Twilight asked.

"Yes and no. We'll get to that. The truth is that since the Interregnum War the former co-founders of Eponia limited themselves to governing their lands, however, mutual assistance was discarded at first, since the damage caused in the War was still latent. Lugus never forgot his claim to the throne of all Eponia, which his descendants would inherit. Morrigan limited herself to governing Cobernia, the kingdom that she herself helped to found and they became increasingly independent of the rest. However, Ogmios sought to govern Horntriu in peace, but never forgot his commitment to Eponia, so he founded an order whose members would belong to all races regardless of the kingdom from which they came. They called it the Order of Oak and Apple, in honor of the tree that was born in the tomb of the Great Mother and the sacred apple trees of Avalon. The Order was neutral to quarrels and conflicts, and only sought the understanding between ponies and prosperity for the whole of Eponia. Years later after the death of the three rulers, the Order continued to function and with the permission of the King of Prydadain at that time they built a cromlech in the countryside where they also placed memorial menhirs to Epona, Lugus, Morrigan and Ogmios in order to remember their role of Eponia co- founders, not the tragic events of the Interregnum War. The Stallionhenge Nemeton served as a neutral ground for all the sovereigns of Eponia and as a place to mediate conflicts and crises. "

It seemed that the more Spáthl Empáiath spoke more questions hovered around the ponies' heads. The bard continued to explain the history a little, as the need for skillful hooves for agriculture forced Horntriu to hire earth ponies from Cobernia and Prydadain and settle them in their territory, but tired of abuses these ponies rebelled, thus born a new Kingdom: The Dal Rideta. He also said that the Mighty Helm came to Eponia centuries ago after having lost their home with a new eruption of a volcano and not having Rockhoof to save them; they came and founded several settlements, including Horsenaforda. That explained why the architecture of the city was so different. However, the bard didn’t tell any story as intense as the Interregnum War, at least until he came to another tapestry gloomier than the previous ones.

"And this shows us something that we wanted to erase from our memory... the Invasion of the Crystal Empire." The bard counted. Seeing that the girls were interested in this topic, he continued. "The tyrannical King Sombra sought to expand their domains and set his sights on Eponia thinking that being divided and without protection once offered by the Great Mother would be an easy target. He thus sent his illegitimate daughter, a unicorn named Shadowcloak and her army: The Legion of Shadows to conquer the kingdom. Villages and farms were assaulted and razed by the ruthless force of the Crystal Empire, stories of indiscriminate killings were heard from Eponadunum to Peairt Aon-chòrnach, and from Coltnamara to Hófrvik, so the Order brought together the four kings of the time: Taleorcan of Horntriu , Ceffyl Caratacus of Prydadain , Alpony MacAodach of the Dal Rideta and Ruadrí O'Cluaisíní of Cobernia, and formed an alliance against the invasion. The collaboration of the kingdoms was invaluable and the Dark Legion was fitting defeat after defeat, until the Battle of Caer Lugus where the unusual collaboration of the Pegasus Legions, the Blue Horns and the Fianna defeated Shadowcloak and her army she was forced to flee by the sea. To prevent the dark mare from returning with reinforcements, the druids of the Order made a decision that would change the course of Eponia's history: using the knowledge of the Fog of Avalon, they covered all the surrounds of the islands with a layer of almost impenetrable fog, isolating Eponia to the rest of the world for over a thousand years. "

"The Fog of Avalon?" Asked Sunset.

"It was a discovery that Morrigan made on the island and that she taught Epona. It's amazing that in the end the Order ended up using it, "commented the bard.

"That Order... what do you know about it?" Twilight said.

"The truth is… not much," said Spathl ashamed. " If you wanted to know about the Order, you should ask a pony member of it, but that's going to be more complicated..."

"Why do you say that?" Asked Spike.

"Because nopony has known about the Order in years..." That revelation perplexed the girls and the dragon. "Some say there were internal struggles and it dissolved, but it does not fit me..." The bard sighed and lowered his head sadly. "I am sure that if the Order were to remain active, they would do everything possible to end this war..."

"Speaking of which, you didn't tell us why this war started..." Twilight said.

"Oh yes... well, I'll explain it to you." The bard cleared his throat. "About thirty years ago Prydadain was at war with Horntriu, however, our king, Pegasutagus, died in battle against the Scobii pirates in Mareffraw. Although the pirates were defeated, the death of the High King left Prydadain mired in uncertainty; it was then when Council of Druids and the Senate appointed his wife as the regent, the queen Adain Budica, since their son was still underage. Eventually, the queen and the Senate decided to go to war against Horntriu, due to its weakness; they occupied important places like the city of Dyn Neighdyn. In addition, the crown prince of Horntriu died in the battle of Alt Corn and his king was too old and with no more heirs, not to mention that the scobii of the Dal Rideta had risen with the intention of conquering Horntriu... but all that, ironically, was worse for us. A unicorn named Tarannos Gorm, leader of the Blue Horns, forced the king to abdicate, and with the support of the warriors, the druids and nobles, was appointed King of Horntriu. Somehow, he managed to change the course of the war and recover lost territory, forcing the Queen Budica to sign peace, then marched on the Dal Rideta, conquered it and he forced the king Ferbasach MacAlpony to a vassalage pact. He also sent an expedition to Cobernia, but this failed thanks to his newly appointed High King, Leann O’Braeburn. What is happening now, is the direct consequences of that war. "

The bard had no more to tell, so he simply let the girls wander around the Hall of Stories to watch the tapestries with complete freedom. Twilight was confused, although you could see a clear connection between conflicts, she did not know how she could deal with them.

"It’s everything all right, Twilight?" Asked Spike.

"Yes, Spike, it's just that I have the feeling that something is missing... there's something in all this that makes me think something’s wrong."

"Do you also have that feeling?" Fluttershy asked, approaching Twilight without attracting attention.

"It's weird, it's like this war is not the reason we're here," Twilight thought.

To Rarity the history was not big deal to her, but she spent a moment to admire the beauty of the tapestries. Maybe she would find some kind of inspiration in them that she could apply when they returned to Equestria. Suddenly, while she was paying attention to the details of one of the last tapestries, something caught her attention; something that a certain pony should see.

"Sunset, darling, I think you should see this..." said the unicorn dressmaker.

"What's wrong, Rarity?" The aforementioned asked approaching her.

"Look, is not there anything that catches your attention in this tapestry?" Sunset noticed it and remembered that it was the tapestry that spoke about the last war. She supposed that the first engraving was about the death of King Pegasutagus.

"Well, not necessarily, I see ponies fighting, and the death of the King, what are you trying to explain to me, Rarity?" Asked Sunset.

"Seriously, look at it." Rarity pointed her hoof at a particular scene, in which a pegasus legionary was leading his troops. However, Sunset quickly realized what Rarity was referring to.

"Wait... is that…? No, it can’t be, it’s impossible ... " Sunset was speechless.

"What are you doing girls?" Pinkie said as happy and carefree as ever. The pink pony looked up and noticed the tapestry. "Uh ... Sunset, that pony over there really looks like you."

Hearing that, the rest approached the tapestry, and although they did not say anything, the words remained. In fact, in the tapestry you could see an orange pegasus with its tail and mane of red and yellow colors directing a legion against the pirates.

"Sunset, are you okay?" Twilight asked when she saw her friend quietly and with a puzzled expression.

"This cannot be... it has to be a coincidence." Sunset remained unconvinced.

"Beg you pardon sugarcube, but nothin’ that brought us here has been coincidence..." Applejack mentioned.

"Yes, if it's a coincidence it's pretty accurate." Said Rainbow Dash.

"What if it's not a coincidence?" Fluttershy asked in a somewhat rhetorical way.

"Spáthl, can you come here a second?" Twilight asked, to which the bard approached.

"Yes, how can I help you?" He asked.

"That pony there, he must have been important if he was included in the tapestry, who is he?"

"Oh, that was Ignis Gladius, a centurion of the Legio II Belerofontia." He explained. "It is said that he was the first to help the king when he was wounded by the pirates at the Battle of Mareffraw, however, the king was wounded and died shortly afterwards." The bard kept talking. "Nonetheless, Ignis Gladius led his soldiers and thanks to him the pirates were defeated. For his courage, honor and leadership he was appointed Magister Equitum of the II Belerofontia, the highest rank for a legionary in service; he even was condecorated with the Corona Obsidionalis, the highest and rearest condecoration in the army."

"And what happened to him?" Asked Sunset.

"Almost nothing is known about him after the war... It is said that after what he lived in Horntriu he licenced and joined the Order, but the last thing I heard about him is that he died..."

Sunset felt a tightness in her chest, although she didn’t want to admit it openly, that pony could have been the key to reveal her past, but if she was dead her hopes died with him.

"You said that the Order was dissolved, are there still members out there?" Twilight asked.

"As I told you, the Order was very hermetic. Although... there may be a pony who knows where to locate a member. If you talk to the archdruid of the college, you may find the information you need," said the Bard. "Although of course, it is difficult to talk to him even for us..."

"Relax, that will be the least of our problems." Rainbow Dash said convinced.

"Just one question, darling, is not that it bothers us, but why have you helped us so much?" Rarity asked.

"Well, before I wanted to confirm something, you are from Equestria, right?" The ponies' surprised faces did not wait.

"How did you...?" Twilight could not continue.

"Intuition... you reminded me a lot about a pony my mentor told me about, who came years ago when he oversaw guarding the Hall of Stories. He described her as an intrepid pegasus coming from Equestria who wanted to know the secrets of Eponia."

"You can’t be serious, did you meet Daring Do?" Rainbow asked Dash.

"Oh my! Do you know her? "Asked the surprised bard. "I was just a simple amdaur when that happened, but my teacher told me everything about her..."

"We're old friends," Twilight said.

"Friends she says... Almost sisters!" At Dash's comment, Twilight only facehoofed.

"What I want to say is that I don’t know exactly what you are doing here, but I hope I could help you as my master did with that pony..." said Spáthl.

"Thank you very much Spáthl Empáiath, you really helped us a lot. " Twilight said as they headed for the exit.

"You're welcome, if you need anything else, do not hesitate to come here." They were about to leave when Sunset suddenly stopped and addressed the bard.

"There's one thing you could help me with," she said, to which the bard nodded. "I have this horn since I was a filly and I never knew what it is or why I have it, could you tell me what it is?"

Sunset pulled the horn out of her saddlebag and Spáthl examined it carefully...

"I would say it is a dragon or a minotaur horn, ornamented and ready to be used as a cup, but... wait a minute, these inscriptions ..." The bard was suddenly speechless and looked respectively at the horn and at Sunset. "Where do you say you got it from?"

"I have it since I was filly, I don’t know where it came from or what it is, I swear." Said the unicorn starting to get nervous. " Do you know what it is?"

"I'm not sure, but if is what I think it is, it's a very important object. I’m not in a position to assure you, but if you are really going to look for a member of the Order, take it and show it to him or her, and please protect it from falling into the wrong hooves... "

Sunset nodded as she put the horn back in her saddlebag, then left the Hall of Stories with more questions than answers, and with a feeling of emptiness in her heart that she did not feel for years...